Hand basket



W. S. MCLENNAN ET AL HAND BASKET Filed June 2l, 1922 latented Mar. 6,1923.

tiene@ rar WILLIAM SEATON MGLENNAN AND GEORGE* THOMSON, OF GLASGOW,SCOTLAND.

HAND BASKET.

` Application ined June 21,

so that a number may be nested together to'l lessen cost of andfacilitate transport from the factory where they are produced, to thefruit growing district where they are filled.

To enable a purchaser to carry one of the baskets when filled, withoutinconvenience, all but theismallest sizes require to be fitted with ahandle. Such handlek cannot be rigidly made in a piecewith the basketwithout interfering with the nesting of a number of them together. Insome cases these handles are supplied separately from the basket'andeach in the form of a strip of metal of uniform width, punched with endtongues to be passed through the holes in the sides of the basket andbent over to fix the handle in' position.` vUnless carefully handled,the edges of the tongues being sharp, vand in some cases, roughly cut,are apt to injure the fingers of the person handling same. Further, ifit be attempted to remove the handle, theutongues are apt to break offin bending' themfback `to enable them to be withdrawn from the holes inthe basket. Instead of the tongues, these metal handles are sometimessecured in position by pivoting their ends within the basket andpunching out tongues to be turned over the edge of the basket when thehandle is erected, thereby endeavouring to hold the basket horizontalwhen filled, even although the opposite ends thereof are unequallyloaded or the pivots are not exactly in the centre of the length of thebasket. This construction is only partially successful, as it does notgive perfect rigidity or control. Further, should it be desired to turndown the handle again within the basket, the tongues must rst be bentback to their original position, andl in doing so, they are apt po bebroken off and render the handle useess.

To overcome these objections, according to the present invention, eachbasket is tted 19,22. Serial No. 559,968.

with a handle in two parts. Each part is shaped more or less to thecontour of the inner sides and bottom of the basket, and each is pivotedat the ends thereof to the sides of the basket on opposite sides of thetransverse centre of same. Thus the two parts of the handle may eitherbe turned down so as not to interfere with the nesting of a number ofthe baskets together, or raised until the transverse portionsof the twoparts of the handle are so adjacent that they amy be convenientlygripped by one hand, the basket can then be carried horizontally withoutit being necessary to secure the parts in this position as their sidesthen eX- tend up at an angle, and the base of the combined handle is ofsuch width that it is immaterial whether the ends of the basket areunequally loaded or not.

The handle is of wireof such area in cross section that the transverseportions will not vbend when the basket is being carried full.

Any convenient `means of pivoting the ends of the two parts of thehandle tothe sides of the basket may be employed, for exampldeach endmay be in the form of a ring or hook to be slipped through slots in thesides of the basket and so bent that when the parts are either erect orturned down, the rings or hooks lie at an angle to the slots, or theends may be flattened and pivoted by a rivet passed through an apen turetherein and through the side ofl the basket, or again, the hooks maysimply be passed through holes in the. sides of the basket.

lf desired, means may be provided to hold the two portions of the handlerigidv when in the erect position, for example, indents may be formed inthe. side members of each part of the handle near the outer endsthereof, indents in the side members of one part being bent inwards andthose in the side members of the other part outwards. When erecting theparts, if the transverse portion of one be passed through beneath thetransverse portion of the other, the indents in both will interlock andthe combined handle will then be temporarily held rigid in its erectposition.

When a basket is lled, the parts of the handle may be turned down to lieon the top of any covering which may have been placed over the fruit;they thus not only hold the covering in place but are also not in theway if it be desired to place a numnfitted with a Vhandle in'two partsA1, A2,

made of wire. Eachpart is shaped more or less tothe contour ofthe innersides and bottom of the basketan'd each isgpivoted at the endsthereof'to the sides of the basket on Opposite sides of the transversecentre of same. .The pivots arein the form Ofhooks "B on the ends of the.wires slipped through holes inthe sides of the'basket.

, `.Indents G1, C2 are formed in the side members offeach: part A1,.A2of the handle. The

indents-C1 inthe side membersy of the one part A1 being bent'inwards andthose C2 in thef side members of the otherpart A2 Outwards. Whenerecting the parts `of `the handle, if-the transverse portion of one bepassed through beneath ythe transverse portion of the other, theindentsC?, C2 in both will interlock, as shown, land the handle willthen'be temporarily held rigid in its erect position with a width-.ofygrip determined by the position of. the indents and the space betweenthe pivots on each side of the basket.

The indents in the sfidevmembers mayfbe omitted if desired, yas whenthetwo parts A1, A2 of the'handle are erect and the transverse portionsgripped by one hand, the

basket canbe carriedhorizontally without it being necessary to securethe two parts'of thel handle inthisvposition, as their sides 1thenextend'up at-an angle andthe base of the combined: handle is of suchwidth that it isimmaterial whether the ends of the basket are funequally loaded or not.

As shown by chain lines,vthe two parts A1, A2 of the handle may also beturned down within the basket so as not to interfere with thenestin'grofa'number of the baskets one within the other.

WVhen the basket is full and the usual covering placed over the fruit,the two parts of the handle maybe turned down to lie on the top ofthiscovering and hold it inl place.

v`At the same time they are not in the way, if it be desired toplace anumber Of the full baskets one above the other for storing/or transport.

What we claim is 1. In a basket of thetype referred to, a collapsiblewire Ahandle havingfonly two parts, each shaped more or lless to thecontour ofthe inner sides and bottom of the basket, vand each pivoted-atits ends to the sides of the basket on oppOsitesides o-f thetransverse center of same, andmeansfadapted when the handle isy in4erect positionto interlock andA hold the twofparts of the handle rigid.and the transverse fportions thereof separate, the latter beingcomposed solely of wire. f

`2. .In .a basket of the typev re'ferredfto, a collapsible wire handlehaving only two ,part-s, each shaped more orlessto thecontour of theinner sides'and bottom ofthe basket, andeach'pivotedat its ends to thesides of the basket on opposite sides of the transverse center of same,and interlocking detents adapted, whenthe handle is in erect position,to hold. the two parts" ofthe handle rigid and the transverse portionsthereof separate, the latterA beingcomposed solely of wire.

In-testimony whereof we have signed our `names to this specification.

WILLIAM jsEATON i MLENNAN. GEORGE. THOMSON.

